Steering mechanism.



No. 851,394. PATENTED APR. 23, 1907.

G. BERG. STEERING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 10. 1906.

WITNESSES /NVEN7'0H C W Czar/fies Ber NEW A TTORNE s CHARLES BERG, OF NEW YORK, N.

STEERING MECHANISM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented April 23, 1907.

Application filed September 10, 1906. Serial No- 333,894.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, CHARLES BERG, a citizen of the United States, residing at the city of New York, borough of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented a certain new and, useful Steering l\lechanism, of which the following is a specification.

This invention is a steering mechanism for automobiles, motor cycles, and any or all kinds of vehicles or craft intended to be driven by motors.

The object of the invention is to provide means for heating that part or member of a steering. mechanism, such as the steering wheel, by the exhaust from the motor, thus increasing the comfort of the steersman or chauffeur in cold weather and overcoming liability to lose control of the vehicle or craft by numbness of the hands.

A further object of the invention is to prov'ide a new form of construction whereby the exhaust motive fluid is conducted away from other embodiment of the invention; Fig. 4 is.

the heatable member of the steering mechanism in such a manner as to avoid obstructing the View, or exposing the occupants of the vehicle or craft to the offensive vapor; and,

at the same time, the necessary connections are made for supplying the motive lluid to,

or conveyingthe same from, the steering;

0st Without interfering in any way with the iiee rotation or manipulation thereof.

Broadly stated, the invention consists of a chambered or hollow steering member, such as a hand wheel, and means whereby the exhaust motive fluid from a motor 1s caused to circulate to and through said member for the purpose of heating the latter.

'hollow spoke b More specifically stated, the invention resides in a hollow steering post, a steering 1 wheel having a hollow rim and a hollow spoke so constructed that the heating medium is caused to circulate through the spoke and the rim, and passages for conveying the heating medium. to and from the spoke.

I have illustrated a practical embodiment i of the invention in the accompanying draw in s, in which igure 1. is a vertical section through a part of a steering mechanism, constructed in accordance with th s lnvention, the plane of the section being indicated by the dotted line 11 of Fig. 2,'looking in the direction of i chamber of the hollow rim, whereby the parthe line 22 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 1s a vertical the arrow; Fig. 2 is a horizontal section on section, partly in elevation, illustrating an- 5 a horizontal section on the line 44 of Fig. 3, showing certain parts in plan; Fig. 5 is a vertical section of another embodiment of the invention; and Fig. 6 is a horizontal section on the line 6--6 of Fig. 5.

In the construction shown by Figs. 1 and 2, A designates a steering post adapted to be mounted in any suitable way known to the art. As shown, the post is hollow, being, preferably, tubular. B designates that part of the steering mechanism which is intended to be grasped and manipulated by hand. As shown, this member B is a steering wheel, but it will be understood that various other forms of steering members may be substituted for the wheel. The whe'elconsists of a rim 1), a series of spokes b, and a hollow spoke b'-, (see Fig. 2) which represents the wheel as being cast in one piece. As shown, the rim b, of the steering wheel is hollow or chambered, in order to produce an annular chamber c, for the circulation of a heating medium into and through the wheel, and with this chamber 0 communicates the passage 0, of the hollow spoke 1)", whereby said passage 0, connects the chamber c of the rim with the vertical passage (1, of the hollow steering post A. The wheel B is provided with a hub (l. the. latter being hollow, and said hub is at tached to the upper. part of the steering post in any suitable way or preferred manner, whereby the wheel B is mounted on the post for the purpose of turning the latter on its axis. The hollow hub (l ol' the steering wheel has communication with the passage (I of the steering post, and with the. passage 1' of the Cdesignatcs a partition or division wall extending longitudinally through the hollow steering post A. This division wall terminates at the plug a, which closes the lower part of the hollow post, said division wall extending entirely through said hollow post, and upwardly into the hollow hub (I of the steering wheel. The upper part of the division wall is extended or prolonged horizontally through the hollow spoke I)", and transversely across the chamber of the rim I), as indicated at C in Fig. 2. It will be noted that the division wall or partition C, C, extends practically the full length of the steering post, and through the hollow spokes b'-, and across the tition or division wall serves to divide the IlO ducts for the circulation of the heating medium. One of said passages serves for the inlet feed. or supply of the heating medium, and it is indicated at (1, whereas the other passage c conveys the heating medium away from the chambereds rim of the steering wheel. lower part with a nipple e, which communi cates with the passage a of said post, and to this nipple is adapted to be attached a feed ipe D, the lattefheing preferably of a flexi- 1e nature. Said feed-pipe may be a flex ible tube or hose, o1 "a flexible metallic tube, and said pipe is connected with the exhaust of a motor or engine. The nipple e is on one side of the steering post A, and on the-other side. of said post is an outlet port 6, the latter being preferably below the nipple e, for the purpose of discharging the heating medium from the tubular post. by Fig. i 1,, the outlet port e maybe surrounded by a nipple e to which may be connected a hose or pipe D, but the nipple e and the pipe D, may be dispensed with, if desired.

The operation is evident from' the foregoing description. The exhaust fluid from an explosive engine. a steam engine, or other appropriate form of motor, is conveyed by the pipe D to the ni ple c, and passes through the passage a o the post A, the hub d, and the spoke if, from whence the fluid .asses into the chamber 0 of the rim 1). The

uid circulates through or around the rim, as

indicated by the arrows in Fig. 2, and it thence passes through the passage 0, of the s oke b, the passage (1 and the post A, the

uid being dischar ed through the port 6, or through the hose 'It will be seen that the heating medium circulates through the post, the chambered rim of the steering wheel, and back through the post so as to be discharged at a point below the floor of the vehicle.

-For the purpose of controlling the circulation of the heating medium through the steering wheel, I have shown the post A as bein equi ped with a damper or valve'E, the latter being located, preferably, at the upper part of said post, and below the steering wheel B. It .is evident that any suitable form of regulating valve may be employed,

but, for the purposes of illustration only, the

said valve is shown by Fig. 1 as an ordinary damper arranged in the passage a. The damper is mounted on a spindlef, having an exposed head or operating piece f. The damper is shown by Fig. 1 in an open posi-. tion, to permit the heating medium to ass readily from the steering post into the ho low rim b, but it is evident thatthe damper may be turned across the passage ,a, for the purpose of cutting oil admission of said heating medium to the steering wheel.

In Figs. 3 and 4 of the drawings, I have represented another embodiment of the in- The post A is provided at or near its 1 As shown vention, wherein a separate teed pipe is cm ployed for conveying the heating medium directly to the elnunbered rim of the steering wheel. The post A is hollow and provided at its lower part with an outlet port or'nipple e[. The steering wheel B- has a hollow or chambered rim 1), and, a hollow spoke I)". The chamber 1-, of the hollow rim is provided with a transverse partition C located at one side of the hollow spoke b The separate feed pipe F passesintothe lower partof the hollow post A, thence extends lengthwise through said post to the huh (I, of said wheel, and thence extends through the hollow spoke b the extremity of said pipe F being extended through the partition (.2 It will he understood that the pipe F conveys the heating medium through the post and the hollow spoke, for. the purpose of discharging said heating medium 1I1i0 the chamber c of the steering wheel rim. The heating medium circulates through or around said rim and is discharged through the hollow spoke b and. the steering post. A, the heating ineilium being free to escape through the outet 8. a

In the construction just described in connection with Figs. 3 and 4, the separate feed pipe F extends longitudinally through, and is encased within, the hollow post A, and the hollow spoke 11 In Figs. 5 and 6 of the drawings, however, I have shown a somewhat different arrangement of the feed pipe, the latter being located externally to the post and the steering wheel. In said construction of Figs. 5 and 6, the hollow steering post A, and the steering wheel B, are employed substantially as in the construction of Figs. 3 and 4, but the independent feed pipe F is mounted in any suitable Way externally of the post A, and below the steering wheel B, the upper extremity of said pipe F opening into the chamber 0 of the hollow rim d, at a point located on one side of the division wall C as clearly shown. Any suitable means may be employed for holdin the external pipe F in position to turn wit the steering post and the steering wheel, and the heating medium is supplied directly to the chamber 0 of the I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a device of the class described, a steering wheel having a chambered rim, adivision wall in "said rim, means for supplying a heating medium to the rim at one side of the division wall, there being an eduction passa e leading from the rim.

In a device of the class described, a hollow post, a wheel having a chambered rim g and also provided with a hollow spoke, the latter connecting the post and the rim, and meansfor dividing the chambers of the rim and the post.

- 3. In a device of the class described, a hollow post, a chambered wheel having a hollow spoke, and a division wall extending across the post, the spoke and the wheel.

4. In a device of the class described, a hollow post, a steering wheel provided with a hollow rim, said wheel being carried on said post for the chamber of the hollow rim to comuninicate with a passage of said hollow post, I and a division wall across the chamber of 5 said hollow rim, whereby a heating medium 1 is supplied to the rim, caused to circulate l around and within the steering wheel, and l l division Wall in a chamber formed by said i rim, means for supplying a heating medium to said chamber on one side of the division Wall therein, and means at the other side of I exhausted through the hollow post.

5 In a device of the class described, a steering Wheel provided with a hollow run, a

the division wall for conducting a heating v iuteriorly divided rim, means for conveying a heating medium to said rim, and means for carrying oil a heating medium to the rim,

whereby a heating medium is caused to circulate through and around said rim.

7. In a device of the class described, a steering wheel provided wit h a eln'imbered interiorly divided rim and with a plurality of spokes, one of said spokes being hollow, a

; post on which the wheel is mounted, means for supplying a heating medium to said rim, and means for carrying oil a heating medium from said rim.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses:

CHARLES BERG.

lVitnesses H. I. BERNHARD, V. E. NionoLs. 

